Have Thine Own Way, Lord: A Pilgrim's Reflection on a Timeless Hymn

J. Neil Daniels

This morning, during the worship service at Potomac Baptist Church, the congregation sang the beloved hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” As the first words echoed through the sanctuary, they resonated deeply within me... perhaps more than ever before. I’ve been walking through life as a pilgrim, often with dirty feet, stumbling and wearied, yet still pressing forward. This hymn is not merely a song; rather, it is a prayer, a confession, and a surrender.

A Hymn Born from Disappointment and Surrender

“Have Thine Own Way, Lord” was written in 1902 by Adelaide A. Pollard, a woman who had long desired to serve as a missionary in Africa. When her plans fell through due to lack of funding, she found herself discouraged and spiritually disoriented. That evening, she attended a prayer meeting where an elderly woman’s simple words struck her profoundly: “It really doesn't matter what you do with us, Lord, just have your own way with our lives.”

That moment of spiritual clarity led Pollard to meditate on Jeremiah 18:3–4, a familiar passage where the Lord is portrayed as the Potter shaping the clay. Inspired, she penned the hymn's verses that same night. A few years later, in 1907, composer George C. Stebbins set the lyrics to music, naming the tune “Adelaide” in honor of the author.

Theological Depth and Scriptural Anchoring

Each stanza of “Have Thine Own Way” is a miniature psalm of devotion, laden with biblical allusion and theological weight, well worth meditating upon.

The opening line—“Thou art the Potter, I am the clay”—is taken straight from Jeremiah’s vision, reminding us that we are not the architects of our lives. We are shaped, formed, and fashioned by the hands of a sovereign God.

The second verse appeals to the Lord’s sanctifying work: “Search me and try me,” echoing the words of Psalm 139. The plea is not just for direction, but for inward cleansing and transformation.

In the third verse, the pilgrim speaks: “Wounded and weary, help me, I pray.” Here is the voice of the sojourner, burdened by life’s trials and in desperate need of the sustaining grace of Christ.

Finally, the fourth verse brings the prayer to its climax: “Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, living in me.” It is a call not merely for relief, but for holiness, for the life of Christ to be visible in the life of the believer.

A Pilgrim’s Song

As I heard those words this morning, I thought of the dust on my feet... the sins, the regrets, the uncertainties, the fatigue of the journey. Yet in this song, I find a helpful reminder: the way forward is not found in stubbornly striving to have my own way, but in surrendering to the hand of the Potter. I am the clay, and my only hope is to be shaped according to His design, not my own.

The beauty of this hymn lies not in its poetry alone, but in its honest recognition that the Christian life is one of yielding, a yielding that is to be daily, painfully, prayerfully. For those of us who profess Christ—who walk as pilgrims in a world not our home—“Have Thine Own Way” is not just a closing hymn; it is a life-long posture.

May we keep singing it, both with our lips and with our lives.